More than 15,000 youth expected to participate

(MissionNewswire) Salesians in Spain are expecting close to 15,000 youth will take part in summer activities including camps and educational courses. These will be possible thanks to the involvement of 300 Salesians and more than 2,750 youth leaders who dedicate part of their vacation to support youth and children.

The activities provide time for leisure and free time while supporting Salesian values. Youth ministry delegations for two Salesian provinces in Spain are engaged in many of these activities. The organization Salesian Social Platforms is also involved in initiatives that support hundreds of youth who are at risk of social exclusion.

One initiative, started by the Spanish Mary Help of Christians province and coordinated by the Jesus the Adolescent Province of the Middle East, is the Formation School for Leaders. Held at the Salesian house in El Houssoun, Lebanon, the school will educate leaders from Salesian houses in Syria and Lebanon, including Iraqi leaders who live as refugees in the country and work in a Salesian school in Beirut.

Salesians in Spain are also preparing for the upcoming World Youth Day, which will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, the first week of August. Almost 2,200 youth from the Spanish Salesian Youth Movement will be involved in this worldwide event to express their faith and support for Pope Francis.

“All of these summer activities provide a change for youth to have some free time in a structured environment where they are supported by caring adults,” said Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries have also been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth and women in Spain through residential, technical, and vocational training programs. These summer activities are extension of the great working already happening for poor and at-risk youth.”

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Spain – More than 15,000 young people are ready to take part in the many summer activities run by the Salesians of Don Bosco

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain